Seven Types of Male Travelling Companions

25/11/2014 15:27 GMT
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Updated
25/01/2015 10:59 GMT

Last week we examined how your travel experience can change if you are a guy, when your companion is a girl, by looking at the different personalities. Today it's the gentlemen's turn to step into the scientific laboratory and be scanned from top to toe - it's the only way to find out how their personalities will transform as they step onto foreign soil. Which one of these rare species would be the ideal travel buddy for a lady? Well, it all depends on your own personality, doesn't it? Let's take a look at the categories...

Another word for the easy-going guitar player is 'hippie'. This guy is as relaxed as anyone and apart from a lonely planet guide to your future destination he has made sure to pack a variety of weird instruments and tons of colourful t-shirts, but other than that.. Not much else. He is the ideal travel companion for anyone seeking to interact with the locals! As soon as you find yourself in a little beach town under the sun he will start playing a catchy song that perfectly captures the culture, and other people will love it! The guitar-player won't do a lot of preparations beforehand. He will take it easy at any cost and any sort of stress will put him off. So make sure you have patience and be prepared to spend many days in the same spot. If your wildest dream is to climb mountains and see the world from the top - this isn't your guy.

"Wow, let's take the boat to Columbia! I just met these guys who said it's awesome!" The spontaneous opportunist is always one step away from total disaster but somehow manages to get away in time - being lucky is one of his most valued skills in life. Expect a lot of sudden twists and turns from the spontaneous traveller who will take whatever opportunity that comes his way. He is not afraid of failing and craves excitement more than anything else, sometimes so much that he fails to think things through and run out of money. Although he might not be the best mountain trekker, he is certainly up for taking chances, so if you love following your instincts and detest carefully planned trips - this is your guy! Just be ready for a lot of 'off the track' adventures, money draining tours and late night parties.

"We shouldn't spend money on anything unnecessary; they just try to rip off us tourists!" Beware of the money-wise male: he could be your worst nightmare or your greatest asset. Months before departure you will already have received tons of emails with carefully mapped out budgets and travel routes that have been selected on the basis of how much they cost and not how fun they are. He hates any sort of useless spending and doesn't fancy adventure tours organised by hostels... In fact, he secretly hates backpackers! What the money wise male values the most are all those things you can do for free. He prefers being around you, his travel companion, and is not seeking out other friends - "it's pointless meeting new people as you won't see them again." The money-wise personality type sees life from a slightly more rational perspective and is constantly seeking to maximise his benefit while minimizing the costs, so be prepared to get angry, frustrated, and a little bit richer.

You have spent hours walking around a holy temple in Cambodia, and during the course of the visit your know-it-all companion has enlighten you on all the historical facts worth knowing about this particular temple. As you cross the busy roads he suddenly remembers something he read about Cambodia's modes of transports and it shouldn't surprise you if he picks up the local customs pretty quickly. Travelling with a geek is like having your own personal tour guide with you at all times. He will make sure you know everything there is to know about your destination before you have even entered the airport, so get ready for an explosion of knowledge! Are there any negatives? Well, the know-it-all geek isn't always the greatest socialiser, but as his travel companion you ease the difficulties and drag him along as you socialise. He will learn sooner or later, but you might have put up with some embarrassing moments as he attempts to educate his fellow travellers and bore them with stories about Mongolian horse warriors from ancient times.

Protector, that sounds a bit like some sort of macho patriarch, doesn't it? Don't be scared, they are not as bad as they seem. The protector is a cautious male traveller who always addresses new surroundings as if he was a military commander scanning the area for potential dangers. However, give him a few beers and he will relax. The protector is the ideal companion for crazy girls with tendencies to place themselves in dangerous situations without given it second thoughts. So if you pick this guy as your travel buddy, the trip could end up doing you both a bit of good: He learns to have fun and you learn to think before you act - and the macho companion will certainly make sure he carries the heavy luggage. So if you can overlook the fact that he sometimes seems to come from a different century, it could be a win, win.

As soon as the surfer dude sets foot in a new country everything is "awesome!" He loves travelling so much that he never wants to leave and before you know it he has dragged you along to several parties and soon the whole travel community knows his name. The surfer dude is not quiet and he doesn't enjoy being alone. Beach life is his priority and as you plan your trip you will find out that he cares little for temples and historical heritage sites and more for adventure. You knew he was a fun guy before you went on this trip, but his outgoing personality continues to surprise you as you travel around - there is no end to his socialising. One day you take surf lessons and the next day you find yourself in the centre of a sports match on the beach with other travellers. One thing that can be said about the surfer dude is that he doesn't allow you to get bored. However, once you realise how hard it is to drag him away from surer town and experience some culture, you might prefer the geeky know-it-all type. There is a danger that you will take the role as the 'responsible one', so beware.

The daredevil is your classical adrenaline junky who makes sure you experience all the crazy stuff such as volcano boarding, bungee jumping, river rafting, and rock climbing. As a bit of a sports freak, he has worked out for months to get fit enough for the ultimate adrenaline kicks abroad. So if you are not an adventurer before the trip, you certainly will be afterwards. If the daredevil senses fear he will push you to the limit - he doesn't care if you are a girl and couldn't be any different to the 'protector'. With a bit of spontaneity as well as surfer dude fun, the daredevil is certainly a hell of a combination, an action bomb if you will. Prepare yourself for a packed schedule and make sure you buy insurance before you go! You might end up with a few broken bones, but who cares? The daredevil certainly doesn't.

The verdict

So girls, who gets your vote as the ultimate female travelling companion? Maybe it's a mix of a few of these personalities, or none of these at all. Why not let us know on our social media channels? And you too guys; do you fall into any of these brackets? Make sure you read the article about female travel personalities as well!

Check out Frontier's blog 'Into the Wild' where you can read more articles like this!